6.  The applicants were born in 1975 and 1969 respectively and were detained in Gebze prison at the time of their application to the Court.
7.  On 9 March 1995 the applicants were arrested by police officers from the anti-terrorist branch of the Istanbul Security Directorate on suspicion of membership of an illegal armed organisation, namely the DEV-SOL (Revolutionary Left).
8.  The applicants were allegedly subjected to torture while in police custody. In particular, they were blindfolded and they were not given any food for a certain period of time. They were forced to sign certain statements under duress.
9.  While the applicants were in police custody, on an unspecified date, the Istanbul police held a press conference on the arrest of the members of DEV-SOL, including the applicants. The picture of the applicants standing behind a table on which weapons were exhibited was published in a newspaper.
10.  On 21 March 1995 the applicants were examined by a medical expert from the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Department, who reported that there were no signs of injury on the applicants’ bodies. The doctor noted that Caferi Sadık Gökçe complained of a pain in his shoulder.
11.  On the same day, the applicants were brought before the public prosecutor at the Istanbul State Security Court and the 3rd Chamber of the Istanbul State Security Court where Caferi Sadık Gökçe admitted to the charges brought against him and confirmed the accuracy of the statements he had made in custody, whereas Rıza Demirel denied his police statements and denied all the charges against him. The court ordered their detention on remand.
12.  On 13 April 1995 the Public Prosecutor at the Istanbul State Security Court filed an indictment against the applicants and several other persons, charging the applicants with membership of an illegal organisation under Article 168 § 2 of the Criminal Code.
13.  On 21 September 1995 both applicants maintained before the Istanbul State Security Court that, during their detention, they had been subjected to torture and had been forced to sign statements pre-drafted by the police officers. Subsequently, the Istanbul State Security Court read out the medical reports drafted on 21 March 1995, according to which the applicants did not bear any sign of ill-treatment. On 19 February 1997, 6 February 1998 and 28 April 1999 they repeated their allegation of ill‑treatment before the first-instance court.
14.  At the end of every hearing the court dismissed the applicants’ request to be released pending trial and ordered their detention on remand having regard to the state of the evidence, the nature of the offence, the content of the case file and the duration of their detention on remand.
15.  On 11 May 1999 the applicants appealed to the Presidency of the 4th Chamber of the Istanbul State Security Court and requested their release pending trial, arguing that the court’s order of detention on remand was groundless. On 12 May 1999 their request was dismissed.
16.  On 24 September 1999 the first-instance court ordered the applicants’ release pending trial.
17.  On 17 December 2003 the Istanbul State Security Court convicted the applicants as charged and sentenced them to twelve years and six months’ imprisonment.
18.  The applicants appealed.
19.  In April 2005 the Court of Cassation quashed the judgment of the first-instance court and remitted the case to the Istanbul Assize Court, since by Law no. 5190 of 16 June 2004, the State Security Courts had been abolished.
20.  The proceedings are still pending before the first-instance court.